So I want to talk about clothing and the relation to craft and sustainability. I know a lot of you will tune out after the word sustainability but bare with me. We all love a bit of cheap asos goodness once in a while but after looking at my waredrobe and thinking wow I have a whole lot of shit that either I bought for one occasion, or the fit wasn't right because I bought it online in excitement or the fabrication wasn't there. It's normally all the mass produced bits that get cast away when it comes to cleaning out your wardrobe, and keeping the special, good fitting staples by your side.

Even with my own purchases of late I have really tried to be critical. Asking myself do I need it, do I love love love it, will it be versatile and how has it been made? Has it been made with love and care or just thrown together at the cheapest of costs. This is what brought me to the brand Vege Threads. To give a little more insight into the brand and their ethos I put together a quick interview with the Creative Director of the brand Amy Roberts.

Would you say you are a part of the slow fashion movement?

I
think that's a good way of describing it. The ethos of Vege is all about sustainability
and I don't believe fashion fashion is at all sustainable. I will never
be a mass produced label, as that would go against everything I am encompassing
in the brand. I feel as though recently, more people are slowing down and there
has definitly been a small shift in consciousness about our fast paced
lifestyles. The more people I speak too, are taking more time for simplicity,
whether that's where/how they shop, time for friends and family , less work and
in turn less stress. And this is where I want vege threads to sit. Apart of the
slower, more thoughtful, conscious part of the industry. I think although its
'slow' over time will gain more growth than fast fashion.

What
makes Vege Threads garments so unique?

The
most unique element to a VT garment is the natural dyes. Vary few brands out
there specialise in this, so it's been really exciting getting to showcase that
in Australia..Along with this we only use certified materials and are conscious
each step of the way with our packaging through to donating a % of our online
sales to our chosen charity.

Being
an ethical fashion brand in a highly fast fashion focused society why do you
think it is so important for brands to switch their means of production to move
towards a more sustainable model?

I
think at the moment all businesses in all fields should be looking towards a
more sustainable model. I think we have reached a point now where extreme
action needs to be taken. I hope that through small projects, initiatives and
awareness more changes can happen and creative a positive movement about being
sustainable and caring about the future of our environment. It's hard
building a small eco –model, especially in fashion as it's the big players who
need to make the switch They are causing the big problems, thus can also make
big impacts by implementing even small sustainable changes. In fashion,
the industry is not sustainable. There aren't even enough plantations available
to supply projected production quantities of big brands in a number of years.
The wastage is horrifying and landfill is full of wasted clothing , not
to mention the toxicity in water ways due to chemical dying and dangers
associated with conventional farming of fibres such as cotton I will continue
to push my label in the clothing industry, educate and work on a small scale
and hopefully through that inspire people to make more conscious decisions
whether that's personal or business.

How
would you describe the Vege Threads girl?

The
Vege Threads girl is someone who is interested in sustainability and an organic
lifestyle, but isn't necessarily an eco-extremist. I believe there is a shift
happening at the moment, where more an more young people are becoming aware and
questioning the things we put in and on our bodies. I think my market has
really been those who have discovered a recent interest in the ecological side
of the industry and having found VT as an accessible alternative in the
Australian fashion market.

What
would you say the essential Vege Threads garment is?

The
best piece so far is the summer tank. It's a more masculine ' muscle tank' cut,
but works really well on all body shapes. Its available in the organic cotton
and the tencel, and I'd have to say the sheer tencel is my favourite piece. If
you're after a simple thrown on dress the maxi tank dress is perfect.